Stranger Things is packed with details and hidden elements, and it’s now clear that the other Eleven was hiding in plain sight the entire time. Some of Netflix’s original shows now rank among the best TV shows of all time, and among them is the Duffer Brothers’ Stranger Things. The show had a strong start in 2016 and maintained its popularity all through its final episode in 2025, and while its finale was quite divisive, it stands as one of the best fantasy TV shows of all time.
Throughout five seasons, Stranger Things followed the efforts of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and her friends and found family to bring down Hawkins Lab, destroy the Upside Down, and, with that, all the monsters living in it, most notably Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). At the front and center of this fight was Eleven, the most notable test subject from Hawkins Lab and who had psychokinetic and telepathic powers that grew in every season. By the end of Stranger Things, Eleven wasn’t the only superpowered kid anymore.
Vecna was Hawkins Lab’s first test subject, another test subject named Kali was later introduced, and Will (Noah Schnapp) was revealed in the final season to also have powers due to his connection to the Mind Hive. However, thanks to a movie completely unrelated to the universe of Stranger Things, it can now be said that the other Eleven was hiding in plain sight: Sadie Sink.
Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink Is The MCU’s New Jean Grey
Season 2 of Stranger Things welcomed new cast members, of which some ended up joining the Hawkins crew for the rest of the show. Such is the case for Sadie Sink, who played Max Mayfield, who moved to Hawkins with her mother, stepfather, and stepbrother Billy. Max befriended Lucas, Mike, Will, and Dustin and later became best friends with Eleven, but after season 3, after witnessing the death of Billy, Max became a target of Vecna.
Sink had a bigger role in Stranger Things’ final season as she served as the guide inside Vecna’s mind and was a key player in the final battle against him. The end of Stranger Things was only the beginning of Sink’s career, who has now moved on to a bigger franchise by joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sink made her MCU debut in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, where, after much speculation, she was confirmed to play Jean Grey.
The famous mutant has psionic powers, can feel and manipulate the emotions of other people, read the thoughts of others, has telekinetic abilities, can harness psychic energy and channel it into blasts of force, and more. Jean Grey and Eleven are very similar, so in a way, the other Eleven had been hiding in plain sight in Stranger Things since season 2, but it was the Eleven of a completely different universe.
Stranger Things’ Eleven Was Inspired By Marvel’s Jean Grey
It’s no coincidence that Eleven and Jean Grey are so alike, as the Stranger Things character was heavily inspired by Marvel’s mutant. The Duffers took inspiration from different characters with similar characteristics in pop culture, such as Charlie McGee from Stephen King’s Firestarter, but she has a lot more things in common with Jean Grey, and not just when it comes to their powers.
Both characters have traumatic pasts linked to authority figures that used them as weapons, the strength of their powers is linked to their emotions, they struggle to identify and process human emotions, among many other things. Although they have different journeys, allies, and antagonists, Eleven and Jean ultimately have the same inner struggles and must process their trauma and face their personal demons if they want to help others.
Eleven’s story is officially over after the final episode of Stranger Things (despite the ambiguity around it), while Jean’s journey is only getting started in the MCU. It’s to be seen where the MCU will take Sadie Sink’s version of Jean Grey, and how her powers will evolve in future appearances.
- Release Date
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2016 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
- Directors
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Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz
- Writers
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Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock